If I Fall
by The Cook's Girl
Summary: Itachi finds young Sakura sneaking a peek into his house! Once he's told that all she wanted was to watch Sasuke, he blackmails her! "I won't tell, as long as you can prove that you really love him..." ItaSaku Oneshot! Sorry for any OOC!


**This was made in tribute for one of my buddies who loves this pairing. I wasn't to sure about it until I wrote it, and I think it's kinda cute! Though, personally, I like NaruSaku and SasuSaku better... Review please! ^^**

* * *

"You should be more careful," I scolded the young girl in my arms as I wiped the tears from her eyes. She was small, and looked to be about Sasuke's age. After she calmed down, I set the girl on the ground gently. "So tell me, why were you in that tree trying to sneak into my house?" Her eyes widened.

"This is _your _house!!," she cried, shocked. "I thought it was Sasuke-kun's house!!" She bowed stiffly, her face flushed. "I-I'm so sorry!!" I chuckled at the unneeded politeness.

"You seem to be mistaken. This is Sasuke's house as well. He's my brother." She looked back up at me, her green eyes excited once more.

"Really!? Then Ino-chan wasn't lying... Ah!!" She bowed again. "Sorry for intruding! I just wanted to s-see Sasuke!"

"It doesn't matter to me if you 'come' here or not. You could have just used the front door."

"B-But, then Sasuke would know I come everyday-!!" She put her hand over her mouth, knowing she had said something wrong.

"That's interesting. I thought I heard a bird here that didn't belong." Her lips quivered and she fell onto the ground, getting dirt all over the pink spring dress she was wearing.

"Y-You're gonna t-tell him... aren't you!!," she wailed loudly. "H-He'll never t-talk t-to me a-a-again!!"  
I leaned down, putting my hand over her mouth to silence her.

"If you keep screaming like that, he'll hear you." She grew quiet, but she didn't stop hiccuping. "I won't tell, as long as you can prove that you love him." She stared at me intently, listening to what I had to say. "Come over everyday by climbing up that tree you just fell out of, and tell me how much you love him. If I'm not here, just leave a letter under the porch stairs. Otherwise, I'll be waiting outside, at the same time, at the same place each day. I have to make sure my brother's girlfriends are decent, you know. Do you think that's fair?" I removed my hand so she could speak.

"B-But... I'm not his girlfriend... and the tree..."

"Don't worry, if you ever fall again, I will never fail to catch you."

She smiled between the tears, and shook them off her face, relieved. Then she stuck out her pinky, looking serious.

"Okay, but you have to pinky-promise you won't tell!!" I smiled slightly, and wrapped my pinky around hers.

"I promise." She smiled even more brightly than before and laughed. It sounded like soft bells ringing through my ears.

"I'll hold you to it! I'm like an elephant, I never forget!"

"Then you are a very pretty elephant." I looked away only for a moment, just to sort through why I had just 'blackmailed' a little girl, just for her to tug on my shirt, looking embarrassed again.

"Umm, could you... help me get out of here before Sasuke comes home?" I nodded.

"Of course." As I lifted her up over the fence, she started wiggling. "Be still, or I'll drop you!" She laughed again. More bells.

"Sorry! But, I don't know who you are!"

"I'm Sasuke's brother," I repeated.

"Not that!!," she pouted. "I meant your name!!"

"If that's what Sasuke's bride-to-be wants," I teased slightly, making her face turn red again. "I am Uchiha Itachi, and now tell me you name." I heard the bells yet again.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. Please take care of me!" I raised my eyebrows. Sakura was an interesting girl.

"And take care of me as well." She nodded and jumped down, taking off as soon as her feet hit the ground.

* * *

As promised, Sakura came everyday, and only stayed as long as she had to, though she never tired when it came to Sasuke. When she left letters, they were filled with hearts and little doodles of her and Sasuke's future family, wedding, and other things littered the pages. I don't know how I didn't realize that things began to change. She stayed longer and longer, and she would actually began to talk about something other than Sasuke, and we would have a normal conversation together. Some days I even got out Takiyoki for us to eat as a snack because she had stayed over until dark. Her letters had less and less doodles and more writing. Instead of throwing them away, I began to tie them up in bundles and keep them in my room so I could read them again later.

She even began to jump out of the tree, just so I would catch her. Yet, I did not notice these changes, nor did I notice my feelings. The soft bells of Sakura's laughter became sweeter, her already bright smiles became blinding, and her entire being seemed to glow. For some odd reason, I told myself that she had always looked that way, that she hadn't changed at all in my eyes. I didn't realize that it wasn't about Sasuke anymore. It hadn't been for a long time. Those days wouldn't last long. Funny how you find out things too late.

* * *

Two things happened that changed my life forever. I had to kill every single person in my clan, whether I wanted to or not. The Uchiha family was becoming corrupt, and it spelled doom for Konahagakure. Unless, unfortunately, they were killed off. But there was one person I could never kill, even if I wanted to; My younger brother Sasuke, who was also Sakura's first love. I was given a week to prepare.

The other is that I realized I had unrequited love.

Sometime after I was given my mission, I ran into to Sakura in the streets. Or, rather, I was on the street, and she was on a roof that was quite far from the ground. She was talking to a blonde girl, who I assumed was her friend Ino, and they were laughing and having a good time. Another reason why it was even harder to do the mission I was assigned.

Sakura glanced down, and noticed me below, and her eyes lit up. She jumped up onto her feet went to the edge of the roof, and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Itachi-san!!," she yelled, and waved. "Good morning!!"

I smiled and waved back at her. Enthusiastic, she turned around to Ino to try and introduce us. Suddenly, her ankle bent in a strange way, and she lost her balance. After a few seconds of waving her arms frantically, she fell. I didn't waste a second. In a flash, I had caught her. It was almost the same as the first time we had met, except she wasn't crying. There was one thing that bothered me; My heart was racing and my chest felt tight. I knew that I was fast enough to catch her, but why had I been so afraid?

Why was I afraid that I would make it in time? Afraid that I would lose her? It made no sense.

"You need to be more careful," I scolded again, though less harshly than the first time. "Being up on the roof is dangerous..." I trailed off when I heard her murmur something with a smile on her face. She then passed out as my eyes widened. It only lasted for a moment. I regained my composure and went inside the house, which happened to be her house, and handed the unconscious girl to the sobbing parents. Ino had explained to them what had happened, and they were just about to rush out when I arrived. They thanked me over and over again and offered to let me stay for dinner, but I declined. I arrived back at the Estate quickly and Sasuke was there to greet me.

"You told me you would train me!," he pouted.

"I must have forgotten." I pushed him in the forehead with my finger and walked into my room. "Maybe next time, little brother." I closed the door, then sunk down on my futon, my head in my hands.

_I wasn't scared at all... I knew Itachi-san would catch me... you promised that I would never fall..._

Why would Sakura say something like that? Wasn't the promise about not letting Sasuke know that she was practically stalking him? It didn't matter anymore. I had to stay away from her. The feelings I had no idea existed were suddenly so overwhelming. She was in love with Sasuke, and she was five years younger than me. For a horrifying second, I almost thought it better with him gone. Yes, I had to separate myself from her. If I didn't, there would certainly be catastrophe.

* * *

A week later, all the members of the Uchiha clan were dead. All dead, save for two. My brother and I. But, if I wanted him to still live, I had to give him a reason, a purpose, so he wouldn't commit suicide the second he realized he was alone. So, what had to be done? I had to make Sasuke see; make Sasuke hate; make Sasuke live. The process had been painful, though it was impossible to tell from my face alone. When I finished, I left Sasuke lying on the ground, and told him he was not worth killing. He had to come to hate me, to hate me so much that he would spend his life after revenge. That means he would live. He would live to kill me.

I had one more thing left to do. Quickly, I made my way to Sakura's house. Instead of sleeping, she was sitting on the roof again, covered by a small blanket and staring at the sky. In her dazed state, she still noticed my presence.

"Itachi-san," she yawned, rubbing her eyes. "I didn't get to say thank you for that time."

"I was busy." She looked up at me, and I could see my reflection in those eyes. "I couldn't see you."

"I know. I left letters, just like you told me to do."

"I don't want you to leave letters anymore. I don't want you to come to Sasuke's house again either. Nothing good will come of it." The bright, shining look in her eyes disappeared. She gazed upon me with a look of horror.

"You mean..."

"I accept your relationship with Sasuke, yes." She shook her head rapidly, tears filling her eyes, and stood up, fists clenched.

"No, no, no!! That isn't what I'm saying!!" She grabbed my shirt as I watched her. "Does that mean I can't see you anymore!? Does that mean we can't eat Takiyoki together?!" She beat her small fists against me angrily, but in vain. "Who will catch me... You promised me you would catch me, every single time I fell!!" I caught her wrist and held on to it tightly, and not at all gently. Sakura looked up at me with shock and disbelief. I leaned down, my eyes cold.

"No, Sakura," I told her darkly. "I promised that I wouldn't tell Sasuke you snuck a peek into our house everyday if you told me how much you loved him. I promised that I would keep Sasuke safe at all costs, no matter what anyone thinks of me and no matter what kind of monster I become."

"You didn't promise that to me!!"

"No, I promised that to myself. Now, I really have become a demon. Cute little girls get eaten by demons."

"Itachi-san... You can't-"

"This may be the last you see of me, so listen closely. Love Sasuke with all of your heart..."

"Itachi-san, wait-!!!"

"I said listen!," I snapped, moving her to tears again. "...and hate me. Hate me with your entire being. At this very moment, your precious Sasuke just witnessed something that a child should never see; a slaughter." Clouds covered the brightly lit full moon, darkness enshrouding us. "The moment he becomes strong enough, the moment he becomes worthy enough, hateful enough, I will kill him." I let go of Sakura's wrist, which was red from the pressure I was putting on it, and left her. Tears were streaming down her face, and she screamed out someone's name. I hope it was Sasuke's.

* * *

A few years passed since that fateful day. I ended up joining an organization called the Akatsuki, searching for the nine demons that were hidden amoung us. I did my jobs like I was supposed to, never questioning, always obeying, just like before. I didn't realize that my search would lead me back to Konahagakure, a place I didn't want to set foot in again. However, I had no choice. Me and my partner, Kisame, were sent there to retrieve the Nine-tailed fox, formally known as the Kyuubi, from a boy called Uzumaki Naruto. According to the file, he was about Sasuke's age.

We arrived at the village quickly, and decided to stay at the old Estate, since nobody lived there anymore, not even Sasuke. Somehow, we ended staying in my old house. I couldn't help but get sentimental. I met a girl I had fallen deeply in love with here, but I knew that it was impossible to catch her. I caught Sakura too many times to count, yet I was never able to capture her heart.

It was my watch in the middle of the night, and my kunai drawn. I felt a presence approach, but stayed still. The bushes rustled. I glanced out the window just as a figure dashed across the back lawn. It looked around to see if anyone was in sight, the leaned down in front of the porch stairs and slipped something under it. The presence seemed slightly familiar, but I decided it was just me. When it had completely vanished, I headed to the stairs to see what the mysterious figure had left. Was it a bomb? No, a listening device? Whatever it was, That person wasn't discreet enough. I got down on my knees so I could see through the stairs better, and all I could see were letters. A huge pile of letters. I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was seeing things. They didn't disappear.

"Itachi...," Kisame grumbled from the room. "Is something wrong?"

"No," I answered stoically. "There was an intruder, but I took care of her."

"Ah, okay. I'm goin' back to sleep then."

After I was sure he was sleeping again, I reached under the steps and pulled out the letter that was dated the most recent. It was baffling why she would continue writing to me when I specifically told her to stop, when I told her to hate me. I wondered if things were going well with Sasuke.

__________________________

Just when I think things couldn't get any worse, I wound up fighting both Sakura and that Uzumaki boy. Kisame fought Naruto while Sakura and I faced off. She certainly seemed to hate me. She was attacking me without restraint, without hesitation, without remorse. Her green eyes held fire, and she was even more beautiful than I remembered. There was also the fact that she had matured, and was probably around fifteen or sixteen years old now. Yes, she was so much more alluring than before it was intoxicating.

I finally cornered her against a steep cliff, steep enough that if you fall, you would die the second you hit the ground.

"If you surrender now, I won't have to kill you," I told Sakura. Although, it more like I couldn't kill her rather than I would kill her. The pink-haired girl chuckled, shaking her head.

"Surrender? To the likes of you? Never! I would rather die than let you get your hands on Naruto!!" I drew in my breath.

"This is you last chance. Surrender, or die."

"Just kill the wench already!!," Kisame said impatiently, then dodged an attack from the boy. Sakura glanced back over at Naruto, then to me. She smiled as the the flame in her eyes seemed to burn brighter than before and waved to me.

"Goodbye, Itachi-san." My eyes widened at the realization of what she was about to do. And what did she do? She jumped. She jumped off the ledge, content with letting herself fall to her death.

What was left of my human heart nearly wrenched itself out of my chest. My body began moving on it's own, faster than I thought possible, and I dived off after Sakura. I kept my body straight, to increase my speed, and caught up to her easily. I clutched onto her wrist with one hand, and focused all the chakra I could into the other hand. I slammed it again the cliff's edge, the skin tearing off my fingers as I desperately tried to slow, or possibly stop our descent. I cried out, my limbs burning and searing with pain. Blood trickled down my arm as we, very slowly, began to stop. My breath came in short gasps and sweat rolled down my brow. I glanced down to see if Sakura was all right. She was perfectly fine except the wounds from our battle that seemed eons ago. However, she seemed to have passed out. I built chakra up in my feet, got Sakura in a better, safer position on my back, and dashed up the side of the cliff. The ascent was much easier than falling, and much less painful. Yet, it felt like an eternity. When I finally made it back, Kisame stomped over to me, enraged.

"What was that!?," he growled. "Since when were you Mr. Nice guy-"

"If you don't want to lose that fishy tongue of yours, be silent!!," I snapped and he took a step back, surprised that I had actually gotten angry and shown it. "Leave me." Kisame nodded, and grabbed Naruto's jacket by the collar and dragged him away.

"We will finish our fight now," Kisame jeered.

I laid Sakura on the ground, and lightly patted her cheeks to wake her.

"Come on... I know you're alive!! It's not like you actually hit the ground when you fell." Her hand twitched slightly, and I lightly brushed my fingers against it. I then grabbed it in both hands and held it up to my lips, my eyes closing. "I'm sorry...," I whispered helplessly. "I'm so sorry."

"Then prove it." I looked at Sakura. She was sitting upright and looking at me expectantly, wide awake. "Prove how sorry you are."

It was amazing that I still had such strong feelings for her that I would jump off a cliff just to save her life. She wanted me to prove I was sorry? Then I would. My hand closed around her neck and I avoided looking at her in the eyes. I could feel her heartbeat. I could feel her struggling to breath again. Pain surged in my chest. My grip loosened. She coughed. I couldn't do it. I was supposed to, but I couldn't kill her. I couldn't kill Sakura.

"Itachi-san," Sakura began once she regained her breath. "Why didn't you let me die?"

"Because you would be useless that way."

_Do not look her in the eye, whatever you do._

"Useless to who, Itachi? To what person!?"

_Don't you dare look her in the eyes._

"Useless to us."

"The Akatsuki? You and I both know that all they want is to control the nine demons! Why would I be useless to them!!"

"Because I would become useless!!!," I finally yelled, grabbed her shoulders tightly. "If you die, I have nothing left!!!" I lowered my head, pent up anger and frustration too much to bear. "My beloved brother hates me so much he wants to kill me, and the woman I love so much that my heart is still partly human is in love with him! I can barely stand such pain, yet, because you both live, because you live, I can live with the fact that you will never gaze upon me as you gaze upon my brother." Sakura chuckled, shaking her head.

"For a genius, you seem to be quite slow," she teased, then stroked my head softly. "After a long time, I totally forgot the real promise we had made. I still can't believe I was a stalker at that young age... anyway, It just... wasn't about Sasuke anymore." She sighed. "Let's see... I was blackmailed, betrayed, and fought against... It makes me wonder why I fell in love with such a jerk." I caught my breath and looked back up at Sakura, grabbing her hand.

"What?," I said, not daring to believe her words. She pushed my bangs behind my ear and lightly pressed her lips against my forehead.

"Are you deaf? I told you that I'm in love with a jerk."

It was like all the walls between us vanished. I pressed my lips against hers roughly, shoving in my tongue. After a few moments we pulled away, gasping for breath. I nuzzled her neck gently and she moaned. She had just begun to unzip my coat when I felt the presence of Kisame returning. We quickly pulled away and fixed our clothes before he arrived.

"What, still making up?," Kisame scoffed. "We have to go back. This'll take longer than anticipated." I glanced at Sakura, then my gaze settled on Kisame.

"That seems to be necessary. Oh, by the way Kisame... don't bother coming back tonight... or for any other night for awhile. During the day is fine, but night is forbidden." It was impossible for my partner to say no to my eyes. I walked over to Sakura. "We will finish this tonight." Sakura couldn't help but smirk.

"I think I can wait," she teased seductively. Kisame rolled his eyes, not wanting to know what was going through our minds. Sakura leaned closer to me and whispered softly into my ear. "I wasn't afraid. I knew Itachi-san would catch me. You promised I would never touch the ground. You promised you would always catch me if I fall. You haven't broken that promise even once."


End file.
